2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Decoding tree fruit genomes is an important step towards understanding how genotype gives way to phenotype in climacteric tree fruit. Towards that understanding we are using functional genomics to place genes in functional contexts by leveraging powerful technologies to produce massive gene activity datasets - typically on the scale of 100s of millions of data points. One widely used approach is RNA-Seq, where the sequence of messenger RNAs (often small mRNA fragments) are determined in a massively parallel fashion. These measurements are taken in the context of familiar molecular biology and horticulture experiments and greatly enhance our ability to discover genes with functions related to postharvest fruit quality. Our approach includes the use, development, and refinement of bioinformatic approaches to maximize the impact of functional genomics techniques to enhance postharvest tree fruit quality. Results of this work potentially include predictive and diagnostic tests, and eventually refined postharvest management practices and novel therapeutics. Ultimately, a detailed understanding of the genetics of fruit ripening and quality will emerge as a powerful tool for tree fruit research.